Limbs splayed among the dandelions

You tell me Earth is spinning

I grip the world by its blades

Of grass, and find I am a static being

In a universe that revolves around us

At life speed

Every minute feels like hours

And yet the days bleed away like seconds

Each moment a testament

To the awesome power of time

 

I want to cling tightly severed boughs

Smell resin that hangs loose on wandering breezes

Pick apart the robin’s nest

And count each egg before it hatches

 

I want to strike the limestone walls

With a closed fist, and feel the bones

Crumble into dust, knowing I am whole

 

I want to glide atop the fields of endless wheat

Feel the grain slip roughly between my fingers

Drink in the scent of raw terrain

And lift my head to let the wind

Blunder through my hair

 

I want to stumble through puddles in the eleventh hour

Crunch asphalt beneath my feet

Feel the tears of angels trickle down

In tiny rivulets along my neck

And shiver at frank nature

Of reality

 

I want to bathe in pools of moonlight

Hear the inky night bubble

All around me, untouchable

 

I want to soar forever westward

At dusk on wings of amber

So that the sun is always waiting

Just ahead

 

I want to walk untamed on mountain peaks

Recount my travels, how long they’ve been

The waitress’ waxing smile at the

Roadside greasy spoon, her face

A dimple spangled tribute to

Untrammeled happiness

And remember the swagger

Of the forest-dwelling lumberjack

Who introduced himself to me

Only as the “branch manager”

 

I want to say that I am worried

But I tremble not in darkness

For I know the shadows on the wall

The black of nights lacking moon or stars

And the swallowing abyss of sullen eyes

Pupils bound to fear and wonder

Are merely preludes to the coming light

 

I turn and face the salmon sky

The sun, she’s grinning at me now

Her smile radiates across the meadow

Beams of steel hold up skyscrapers

But beams of sunshine hold up

The corners of my mouth

And here I smile back

Can you feel her warmth filling you

With light enough to last

Your life?

I think

I can too.